Webster School principal moving to district office

RON WALTERSStaff Writer

Published Sunday, June 30, 2002

Theresa Grady knows that changing jobs can be hard, particularly when a certain West Augustine school has been home for nearly 20 years.

But Monday, Grady is officially leaving her position as principal of The Webster School to become the new assistant director of Exceptional Student Education, or ESE, for the St. Johns County School District.

She opted for the transition to the district office because, "One, I've been in education for 21 years and 18 of them have been at Webster. I thought that I'd like a new challenge. I want an opportunity to affect (students) on a different level."

The open principal position at Webster is currently being advertised by the district. Interviews have been conducted, and Superintendent Hugh Balboni is scheduled to make a recommendation to the School Board at the July 16 meeting.

Despite the thrill that comes with new responsibilities, Grady said she's going to miss the atmosphere at Webster.

"It's a school that's very supported by the community," she said. "The staff is large but works very much like a family. They're concerned about each other and support each other."

At 725 students, Webster is the city's cluster site for trainable and profoundly mentally handicapped and gifted students.

To work there, Grady said, "You have to be versatile."

While Grady is not involved in selecting her replacement, whoever he or she may be, "They would need to be very child-focused, understanding of individual differences and would have to be flexible and able to multi-task," she said.

All of which, with her vast expertise in special education, are things that come second nature to Grady.

A St. Augustine native, Grady has devoted 21 years to education, all in St. Johns County. Her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were also born and raised here.

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of North Florida. She is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at Nova University. She's hoping to finish her dissertation, which is focused on educational leadership, within the next year. And even though earning a Ph.D. has never been a concrete goal, "It's always been a dream of mine to keep learning," she said.

Grady began her career by teaching first- and sixth-graders at Fullerwood School and then served as a gifted resource teacher for Julington Creek Elementary School and Webster Elementary School.

She was later named assistant principal at Webster, then spent a year as principal of the Yates Center. In 1994, she returned to Webster and served as co-principal with Roger Coffee for two years before being named principal upon his retirement.

Martha Mickler, the district's assistant superintendent for Curriculum and Learning, said that Grady "has a wealth of experience in the area of exceptional education. She is very knowledgeable in the laws and procedures in ESE education."

In her new role, Grady will be working with ESE teachers and staff in all district schools. She will also work on ESE programming with the schools and hold regular meetings with each principal.

On the district level, Grady will work closely with Christine Chancey, the district's ESE director.

Grady's appointment sits well with Chancey, who said she's known Grady for a while and has the utmost respect for her.

"She's just wonderful. I've worked with her for years. She's got a tremendous background," Chancey said.

The assistant director's position has been vacant for a number of years because of budget constraints, Chancey said.

"We're really excited," she added. And having Grady on staff, "it's going to be a big help to me."